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Senior Day Showdown, Gustavus Set To Face Carleton In 2010 Season Finale

Welcome

Gustavus welcomes the Knights of Carleton College to Lloyd Hollingsworth Field for Saturday’s 2010 season finale. The Gusties enter the game with an overall record of 3-6 and a MIAC record of 2-5 after suffering a 17-14 loss to Augsburg last weekend in Minneapolis. Carleton enters today’s game with an overall record of 3-6 and a MIAC record of 2-5 after falling to St. Thomas last weekend in Northfield, Minn. Both Gustavus and Carleton enter today’s game with one non-conference win and identical MIAC records. Gustavus’s two conference wins came against Concordia and Hamline, while Carleton defeated Augsburg and Hamline.

As is tradition at Gustavus, the final home game of the season is designated as Senior Day and a special tribute is made to the individuals who have committed themselves to the Gustavus football program for the past four years. This year, the Athletics Department, Coach Haugen and his staff, parents, and fans salute the 19 seniors who have represented the Gustavus football program with pride and class from 2007 to the present. We thank them for their efforts and wish them the very best in the future.

19 Gustavus seniors will be honored on Senior Day against Carleton on Saturday.

The Series

Saturday’s game will be the 36th meeting between Gustavus and Carleton on the football field. The Gusties have compiled a mark of 18-14-3 in the all-time series. The Gusties currently have a 13-game winning streak against the Knights, their longest win-streak against a MIAC opponent. Seven or less points have decided three of the last four meetings between the two squads. Last season in St. Peter, Gustavus trailed 21-6 in the third quarter, but rallied to score 22 straight points and claim a 28-21 victory over the Knights. Quarterback Jordan Becker connected with Elliot Herdina on a 15-yard touchdown pass with just :14 seconds left for the game-winning touchdown.

Meet The Head Coaches

Gustavus Head Coach Peter Haugen is in his second season at the helm of the Gustavus football team. Haugen compiled a record of 4-6 in his first season as the head coach of the Gusties. A graduate of Bethel University, Haugen was the head coach at Washburn High School in Minneapolis prior to coming to Gustavus. Carleton Head Coach Kurt Ramler enters his fifth season at the head of the Knight football program. The Knights are currently 20-29 under his direction. Ramler was named MIAC Coach of the Year in 2008 after leading Carleton to a 7-3 season. He earned a B.A. in English from Saint John’s in 1997 and a master’s degree in education from Wagner College in 2003. Prior to taking the job at Carleton, Ramler served as the offensive coordinator at Heidelberg for three seasons.

Watch and Listen

Fans can watch/listen to the Gustavus vs. Carleton game through the Gustavus Athletics website. You can also keep track of the game by following live stats.

About The Game

Scouting The Gusties

Senior defensive end Brandon Jonker

The Gusties will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Augsburg last Saturday in Minneapolis. This is the third time in the past five seasons that Gustavus will be facing Carleton in the season finale. The Gusties will try to snap a four-game losing skid and end on a positive note, while the Knights will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak.

Last Saturday at Augsburg, the Gusties saw a late rally come up short when the Auggies stopped a Gustavus drive on fourth-and-two at midfield with 1:10 remaining in the game. The Gusties led 7-6 at halftime on a 26-yard touchdown run by Logan Becker in the second quarter. Augsburg’s Jack Christopherson made a 41-yard field goal to put the Auggies up 9-7 early in the third quarter, but the Gusties regained the lead when Becker scampered 10 yards for his second rushing TD of the day. Tom Huepenbecker’s point after attempt made the score 14-9. Augsburg scored what turned out to be the winning touchdown when quarterback Muneer Al-Hameed hit Phil Putratz with a 19-yard pass early in the fourth quarter. The Gusties had the ball at the Augsburg 20-yard with five minutes remaining, but an Auggie interception stopped the promising drive. Becker was the top Gustavus rusher with 88 yards. The Gusties compiled 304 yards of total offense, but were 1-for-3 in the red-zone, while Augsburg registered 248 yards and was 2-for-2 in the red-zone.

Entering the final game of the season, Gustavus ranks eighth in the MIAC in total offense (304.4 Yds/G) and fifth in total defense (322.8 Yds/G). Gustavus ranks second in the conference against the pass, giving up a league-low seven touchdowns and an average of 165.8 yards per game. The defense is led by seniors Dustin Kammerer, Paul Stommes, Zach Lundquist, and junior Brad Kruckeberg. Kammerer, Stommes, and Lunquist have combined to make 212 tackles this season, while Kruckeberg has made five interceptions and defended 11 passes. Jeffrey Dubose has emerged as the top running back while Becker adds another threat to the ground game. Dubose has a total of 677 yards and Becker has 370 yards, as the Gusties have the fourth best running game in the MIAC at 153.6 yards per game.

Scouting The Knights

Senior wide receiver Cody Sukalski

Carleton will look to snap a two-game losing skid with a win Saturday against Gustavus. The Knights are coming off a 38-7 loss to St. Thomas in St. Paul. The Tommies rattled off 28 unanswered points after halftime on their way to clinching the 2010 MIAC title. After St. Thomas scored on the opening drive of the game, Carleton responded with a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. Vaughn Schmid capped the 17-play, 77-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run. Schmid was 17-for-23 for 136 yards through the air. His top target was Kilian Murphy who brought down nine catches for 55 yards. The Knights recorded 50 yards rushing and 136 yards passing for a total of 186 yards in the game. The defense was led by Justin Rotman who recorded 11 tackles.

Through nine games, Carleton ranks fourth in the MIAC in total offense. They are averaging 227.9 yards passing (3rd in MIAC) and 142.4 yards rushing (6th in MIAC) for an average of 370.3 yards per game. Quarterback Vaughn Schmid accounts for an average of 244.6 yards of offense per game, averaging 203.1 yards passing and 41.4 yards rushing. He ranks fourth in the MIAC in pass efficiency (139.3) and has a touchdown to interception ratio of 14-to-8. Kilian Murphy has been Schmid’s go-to receiver this season, totaling 530 yards on 50 grabs. Jon Lien leads the Knights ground game with a total of 716 yards (79.6 Avg/G) and eight touchdowns. Carleton’s defense ranks eighth in the league, giving up an average of 430.1 yards per game. Junior Linebacker Mark Skoglund leads the MIAC in tackles with a total of 85 (9.4 Avg/G).

Gustavus Game Notes

Senior assistant coach Andrew Valen

Senior Sendoff – Nineteen seniors will take part in their final game as Golden Gusties Saturday. This group has set a great example for the program by its performance on the field and for its work ethic during practice. The Gustavus Athletics Department would like to extend a sincere thank you to this fine group of gentlemen for their leadership on and off the field these past four years. The seniors playing their final game at Lloyd Hollingsworth Field today are Cody Sukalski, Tyler Melhorn, Dustin Kammerer, David Papas, Jade Kotila, John Juran, Mike Mohs, Greg Lane, JJ Akin, Lucas Armstrong, Zach Lundquist, Paul Stommes, Chris Martinez, Brandon Jonker, and Matt Henderson. In addition to these 15 players, four seniors have been valuable members of the coaching staff this season. This group includes Andrew Valen, Brian Wille, Luke Olson, and Zach Umbreit.

Season Finale – The Gustavus football team is an even 25-25 in season finales in the last 50 years. The Gusties are 6-4 overall and 3-2 at home in the past decade in their season-concluding contest. The Knights and Gusties have met a total of five times in the final game of the season since 1920. Carleton has a 3-2 advantage in those five meetings, yet Gustavus has won the past two season-ending matchups.

Gusties vs. Knights On The Hill – Since Carleton re-introduced football in 1983, the Gusties have compiled a 10-3 record at home against the Knights. The last Carleton victory in St. Peter came by way of a 24-18 win on Oct. 7, 1989 in front of 2,345 fans on Hollingsworth Field. The Gusties are averaging 38.2 points and 418.2 total yards in the past five games with Carleton on Hollingsworth Field. Carleton has averaged 13.6 points and 306.2 total yards during that same period.

Seniors Paul Stommes and Dustin Kammerer combine to make a tackle

Aerial Defense – Last Saturday in Minneapolis, the Gusties gave up a season-low 66 yards passing to Augsburg. It is the lowest single-game opponent passing total allowed since Oct. 11, 2003 when the Gusties held St. Thomas to just 45 yards through the air. Gustavus is giving up an average of 165.8 yards passing this season, which ranks second in the MIAC.

Ninety-Six Years Of Gustavus Football – The Gustavus football program is at the end of its 96th season. The football team was first recognized as a collegiate program in 1902. This team, which was coached by Reverend Chouinard, posted a record of 1-0. Football was later banned at Gustavus from 1904 to 1916, but was reinstated in 1917 and the College has supported a team every year since. Gustavus has compiled an overall mark of 461-320-21 and a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference mark of 365-227-13. The Gusties have won 22 conference titles since the MIAC began sponsoring football in 1920. Gustavus was a charter member of the MIAC. The other charter members included Carleton, Hamline, Saint John’s, Macalester, St. Olaf, and St. Thomas.

Becker Joins Exclusive Club – Gustavus quarterback Logan Becker rushed for a season high 88 yards last Saturday against Augsburg. It is the best single-game rushing performance by a Gustavus quarterback since Curt Swenson ran for 108 yards against Bethel on Oct. 23, 1993. With that yardage, Becker also joins an exclusive club of Gustie signal-callers. He is just the third quarterback in the last 50 years to rush for over 300 yards and pass for over 1,000 yards in a season. Becker joins the likes of Dean Kraus ’89 and Brad Baker ’80. Kraus achieved the feat twice in 1986 and 1988, while Baker was the first to accomplish the milestone in 1977. Becker has rushed for 370 yards and thrown for 1317 yards this season. His 370 yards rushing are the most by a Gustavus quarterback since 1960.